New knife

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Jevverrett

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I recently decided to go in a new direction for my edc knife. I changed from a Swiss army to a fixed blade. After some research and deliberation into makers and the laws of my state, I pulled the trigger. I went with the Bark River Bravo necker 2. 3.5 inch blade with a 3 inch cutting edge. Convex ground from CPM 154 steel with a matte finish and black linen micarta handle scales.

I’ve been carrying and working with it for 2 weeks now, split between my pocket, belt and a ball chain. I think I prefer the pocket overall, but as a necklace is growing me a bit. I have to say that aside from the handle being a hair short for my hand, it is a fantastic knife. The lanyard I tied on makes up the handle shortfall for me. The weight is nearly perfect, and is very well balanced. It metal has good edge retention to the point I only needed to strop it on my jeans a few times in two weeks. It also has had no issue with rust at all. Definitely a company worth looking into if your looking for a good knife.



Photo has been adjusted by the management so text size remains readable.
 
The sheath is pretty well made. It’s not fancy though, more utilitarian and sturdy. Just thick leather with the company logo stamped on. It has good retention, as well as a decently strong magnet. You can hold the sheath with the knife by the magnet anyway. Getting it in the sheath initially Is a bit rough and it forms itself nicely in a few days with humidity and body heat. I’ve been carrying it around my neck for about week now, jumping in and out my truck at work. I don’t think it can fall out accidentally.

I watched a video tour of their shop on you tube. They make their own sheaths in house, which I though was pretty cool. All hand cut and sewn. I’ve bought some decent knives before that came with garbage sheaths. Cheap nylon or plastic and the like. They also sell upgraded versions for pretty much all the knives they make with ferro rod loops and improved retention methods. I kind of balked at the price initially, but I’m impressed with the whole package. And the “spot cleaning” maintenance offer and lifetime warranty are second none.
 
Comment from the Peanut Gallery:  if this were my rig I’d ditch the steel bead neck hanger.  It will eventually fail.  When it does there will be no clue or telltale sign it has broken.  You’ll just take off your jacket one afternoon and discover the knife has departed.  Then the mourning will begin.  I’ve had two of those bead chains break.  I would use a heavy rawhide or whatever lace or a length of paracord.

Also, with a fine Sharpie, write your name and phone or email address on the back of the sheath.

Lastly...those sheaths are not sealed so far as I know. You could die the leather with some Feibings leather dye and it would be pretty cool. Forest Green...Navy Blue...Maroon...Rust...whatever.
 
Thanks for the wisdom on the chain. I’m not positive carrying it around my neck is a good idea regardless. I think I like it in my pocket best. I bought the chain at Lowe’s for about $3 to give it a try.

I didn’t opt in for the weatherproof treatment on it for $20. I’m not sure if that is a thing bark river does, or if it’s done by knivesshipfree.com. (Awesome higher end knife shop) I have sno seal I use on my winter work boots that should be fine.

Alternately, I have been getting into leather working a bit lately and may try my hand at an improved sheath for my pocket. I’ve seen the pocket sheaths people make for them, and may be able to replicate one.
 
I hate when people do this, so I apologize in advance. Now that we have youtube and google search, my extremely limited experience is useless. Here goes... I used to mess with leather a bit (a wee bit), and I would soak it in water to get it to take form and shrink/tighten around something as it dried. Then I'd slowly melt beeswax into it and hopefully fill in any needle holes I might have made.

And there's always Obenauf's Heavy Duty LP.

Here's a recipe for homemade waterproofing. Like Otter Wax, Barbour wax, etc. I know it can be used for more than reconditioning waxed or oiled cotton.

https://www.shelbyoutdoor.com/?cPath=405_434_515&language=en

ps- nice knife. I wouldn't be reading if I wasn't interested in the meat of the thread.
 
I have a can of sno seal I use on my boots, that works pretty well. I plan to use it on the sheath once I feel it has molded properly. Insofar as making a new one, wet molding is the fun part. It’s all the punching and sewing that drives me nuts. It is tedious and requires patience I don’t have some days.
 
Thanks. I think if you and blackhorse agree on my choice, I chose properly. I will admit, I’m thoroughly impressed with this knife makers’ product. I use a knife daily, and my greatest joy in all this is not having to sharpen my Swiss army knife every weekend. When I worked landscaping I carried a Gerber gator lock back, and I had to keep a dc4 in my work truck.
 
Bark River makes great blades. CPM 154 is a great choice. I have a couple 154CM blades and I've been very impressed. Take a razor's edge easily and hold it well. The CPM version should be awesome.
 
I’m not enough of a steel nerd yet lol. Is cm 154 similar to cpm 154? I just know it’s a higher carbon stainless
 
Same base material. CPM is "Crucible Powdered Metal", a process that basically distributes the elements more evenly at the microscopic level giving better properties to the finished product.
 
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